Congress government in Chhattisgarh survives no-trust motion moved by BJP
Raipur (PTI): The Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government in Chhattisgarh on Saturday survived a no-trust motion moved by the Bharatiya Janata Party on the last day of the Monsoon session of the state assembly.The no-confidence motion was defeated by voice vote in the state assembly shortly after 1 am after a 13-hour debate.
While the Congress has 71 members in the 90-member assembly, the BJP has 13 MLAs in the House.
The debate, which began shortly after noon on Friday, saw the BJP presenting a 109-point "chargesheet" against the Baghel government and accusing it of corruption and failure to fulfil poll promises.
During the stormy debate, the opposition members targeted the Congress government over alleged scams, non-fulfilment of its poll promises and "deteriorating" law and order situation.
The treasury bench rejected the charges claiming that the opposition failed to come up with any concrete issues and its chargesheet lacks facts.
Replying to the debate, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said the opposition chargesheet lacks facts and by bringing it, the BJP gave a chance to the government to highlight its achievements in the assembly.
Shortly before CM concluded his speech, the BJP members started sloganeering against the government claiming that it failed to give replies to the opposition's allegations and walked out from the House.
Slamming the Centre, Baghel said the Enforcement Directorate has been given enormous powers which is not in the interest of the country. "I strongly oppose the move to give powers to ED to probe GST-related cases," he added.
The ruling party rejected the charges and said the BJP had failed to come up with concrete issues during the session, the last before assembly polls are held in the state later this year.
The BJP had moved the no-confidence motion against the government on Wednesday and discussion on it was fixed for Friday.
Initiating the debate, BJP MLA Brijmohan Agrawal hit out at the Congress and said the no-trust motion has been brought as this government had turned "deaf and dumb" and become a "murderer of democracy".
The atrocities of the Baghel government on youth were greater than those committed by the British, he claimed.
He referred to the induction of Mohan Markam into the Baghel-led cabinet after replacing him as Congress' Chhattisgarh unit chief and removal of minister Premsai Singh Tekam from the cabinet.
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India describes attack on Fujairah 'unacceptable'
New Delhi (PTI): India on Tuesday described the wounding of three Indians in an attack on the United Arab Emirates' port city of Fujairah as "unacceptable" and pressed for an immediate cessation of hostilities targeting innocent civilians.
New Delhi's reaction came a day after the Indians were injured after a drone attack caused a fire at a major oil industry zone in Fujairah. The UAE had accused Iran of carrying out the strike.
"The attack on Fujairah that resulted in injury to three Indian nationals is unacceptable," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
"We call for immediate cessation of these hostilities and the targeting of civilian infrastructure and innocent civilians," the spokesperson said.
Jaiswal said India continued to stand for dialogue and diplomacy to deal with the situation so that peace and stability could be restored across West Asia.
"We also call for free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the Strait of Hormuz in keeping with international law. India stands ready to support all efforts for a peaceful resolution of issues," he said.
The attack on Fujairah city came as the ceasefire between the US and Iran came under strain in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and gas pass, remains a major sticking point in the talks. Shipping through the narrow Gulf waterway has been severely disrupted by the conflict, triggering a sharp increase in oil prices and energy shortages in several countries.
The UAE's defence ministry on Monday said its air defence systems engaged 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four drones launched from Iran.
The ministry affirmed that it "remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats and will firmly confront anything that aims to undermine the security of the country."
